8 maids-a-milking

Just a few more days til Christmas. I’ve been busy rediscovering leisure reading, and I just finished Stephen Colbert’s book I Am America, and So Can You!. Let us commence with the mini-review:

The book starts off strong (about 80% of the laughs I got out of the book were contained in the first 30 pages). Possible correlation to: the amount of time it usually takes to get through an episode of the Colbert Report. It is a bit of a slow read, primarily because there is a plethora of margin notes and footers. After those first 30 pages, the pseudo-conservative schtick loses it’s lustre, and drags on for awhile longer. The day after I returned the hardback copy, the audiobook version came. It feels a little hollow, even in comparison to the book. Final verdict: read it anyway. Even if you only make it through the first 3/8 of the book, it’s good for a few larfs.

Elsewhile, I’m wrapping up with christmas shopping (har!) Today’s shopping was intended for the gauntlet of secret santa gift-exchanges that await me during the coming days. I’m pretty pleased with this year’s contributions:

Ape’s Family

This gift suite is titled “Get Lucky“. It includes a bottle of sparkling wine, a box of chocolates from Halle, Germany, a condom, and a bunch of lottery tickets. The way I see it, you’re sure to get something good out of that. The tickets Ape and I bought weren’t winners, so the neighboring tickets must be winners.

My Family

The suite of gifts for my family started out the same as the former, but inspiration struck me at Dierbergs, and it transformed into the “Locavore Lunch” package. Everything is from the St. Louis area, and included are the following items:

Fitz’s Rootbeer

Schlafly Beer (No. 15)

Missouri Honey

Peanut Butter from Chesterfield

Hautly Cheese

Salad Dressing from Zia’s

Pasta Sauce from Bartollini’s

Horseradish from Collinsville (Horseradish capitol of the world!)

I think it’s a cool idea. Being a locavore is rough, especially around this time of year. I’ve always had an urge to try it, and this is pretty encouraging. I could probably live forever off peanut butter & honey sandwiches…